UTS 100K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 819m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 38% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 707m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 78.6km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 92.8km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.1km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.1km–11.7km · Climb of 878m, descent of 617m averaging 13%. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 11.7km–50.1km · Descent of 622m averaging 19%, descent of 413m averaging 18%, descent of 819m averaging 9%, high point 1050m. Plus 3 more climbs and 1 descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 50.1km–92.8km · Descent of 760m averaging 10%, climb of 1026m, descent of 901m averaging 14%. Plus 3 more climbs and 1 descent. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 92.8km–102km · Descent of 707m averaging 8%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line.

Course

By gradient, 37% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 20% flat. The longest climb runs 11.2km at an average 9.2% grade (1026m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.4km at an average 8.7% grade (819m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 40.6% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 37.3% over 1.1km. Surface: 41% trail, 26% technical, 23% smooth, and 5% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 166.4 FlatKM.